Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

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Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
TyphoonLagoonWaterParkColor.png
Walt Disney World Typhoon Lagoon Entrance.JPG
Typhoon Lagoon Entrance
Location Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States
Coordinates 28°21′54″N81°31′40″W / 28.365025°N 81.527772°W / 28.365025; -81.527772
StatusOperating
OpenedJune 1, 1989;35 years ago (1989-06-01) [1]
Owner Disney Experiences
(The Walt Disney Company)
Operated by Walt Disney World
ThemeStorm-ravaged tropical bay
Operating seasonYear-round with annual maintenance closure (water is heated in the winter)
Website Official website OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon is a water theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida near Orlando, and is one of two operating water parks at the resort. It is the second water park to open at the resort, preceded by Disney's River Country which closed in November 2001.

Contents

The park, which opened on June 1, 1989, is home to one of the world's largest outdoor wave pools [1] where it is even possible to bodysurf. [2] The theme of the park is the "Disney legend" of a typhoon that wreaked havoc upon a formerly pristine tropical paradise. Ships, fishing gear, and surfboards are strewn about where the storm flung them. Its centerpiece is "Miss Tilly", a shrimp boat impaled upon a mountain named "Mount Mayday" that erupts a 50-foot (15 m) geyser of water every half hour, right before the bells of the watch sound on it. Its mascot is "Lagoona Gator".

Typhoon reclaimed the title of most popular water park in the world in 2022, admitting 1.92 million guests, by beating Chimelong's (China) 1.62M, Volcano Bay's (Florida) 1.85M, Thermas Dos Laranjas' (Brazil) 1.7M, and Therme Erding's (Germany) 1.7M. [3] Before COVID-19, Chimelong and Typhoon had taken the top 2 spots for years, annually averaging 2.66M and 2.25M, respectively. [4] [5] It operates year-round, with an annual maintenance closure during either the fall or winter. During the closure, its sister park, Blizzard Beach, will remain open. Since COVID-19, Disney has only operated one water park at a time, Typhoon accounting for <30 days (2020), 0 days (2021), 314 days (2022), and 231 days (2023), not counting weather-related closures.

Of the major parks at Disney World, it is the only one that lies within the city limits of Lake Buena Vista. Blizzard Beach and the four theme parks are within the adjacent city of Bay Lake. However, Lake Buena Vista is the mailing address for the entire Walt Disney World Resort.

The water park, along with all the other Walt Disney World parks, closed in March 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The park remained closed whilst the four theme parks reopened July 11–15, 2020. [6] Disney's Typhoon Lagoon reopened at the Walt Disney World Resort on January 2, 2022, [7] after being closed almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the last portion of the resort to reopen after COVID-19 related interruptions.

Mount Mayday

Mount Mayday, located behind the surf pool, features "Miss Tilly" as well as many of the waterfalls and slides. It is a man-made mountain which not only provides launching areas for the water slides but also conceals the pipework.

The main engineering works performed in 1988 and 1989 featured studies, design, and tests on water wave generation and propagation. As the Typhoon Lagoon was one of the first wave-makers applied to a theme park, one of its prime objectives was to produce surfable waves. Waves are generated by a 12-cell prestressed concrete tank in the background of the lagoon covered with the shipwreck scene. Computer modeling techniques were used at the time to study fluid-structure interaction, stress concentrations, and fatigue to ensure integrity and safety. Prior to its opening, the Typhoon Lagoon was tested to determine wave shape, surf-board ride duration, and the extent to which the waves give a natural feeling as they propagate and break on the artificial beach downstream. [8]

Attractions

Hideaway Bay

Hideaway Bay, formerly "Out of the Way Cay", is a sandy beach area located behind the dressing rooms.

Attractions

Crush 'n' Gusher WDW Crush 'n' Gusher.JPG
Crush 'n' Gusher

Typhoon Lagoon

The largest section of the park houses the feature attraction as well as many shaded, white sandy beaches to relax and recuperate.

Attractions

Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool WDW Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool.JPG
Typhoon Lagoon Surf Pool

Former Shark Reef

Considered one of the most unique attractions at any Disney park, [10] Typhoon Lagoon's Shark Reef provided guests a 5–15 minute snorkel across a manmade lagoon brimming with rays, small sharks, and tropical fish. The artificial reef consisted of a 362,000-gallon dual tank habitat separated by an overturned "sunken tanker"—a disguised underwater viewing tunnel. Without official statements from Disney Parks, analysts point to its uniquely high operating costs (animals and their care takers, water temperature regulation, water filtration, life guards, et al.) as reason for its permanent closure on October 3, 2016. [11] [12] Since closure, the sunken tanker has been walled off and the tank closest to the pathways has been filled in, covered with sand, and converted into a seating/lounge area. The entrance building to the attraction has been converted into a quick service bar and eatery. [13]

Attractions

Castaway Creek

Continuous flowing, 2,100-foot (640 m) "lazy river" that slowly circles the entire park, passing through gentle waterfalls, lush rainforests, mist screens, and Mount Mayday itself. Riders can float on their own or in the inner tubes provided.

Other attractions

Food and beverage

Picnic areas

There are 2 designated picnic areas located in the park. However, there are no restrictions as to where to have a picnic.

Coolers are allowed in the park. The only restricted items are glass and alcohol.

Merchandise

See Also

Incidents at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon

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References

  1. 1 2 "A History of the Walt Disney Company". The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  2. ↑ Greenfield, Beth (May 16, 2012). "America's Coolest Water Parks". Forbes . Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  3. ↑ "AECOM 2022 Global Attractions Attendance Report".
  4. ↑ "AECOM 2019 Global Attractions Report".
  5. ↑ "AECOM 2016 Global Attractions Report" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Laughing Place Staff (May 27, 2020). "Live Blog: Walt Disney World Presents Reopening Plans to Orange County Economic Recovery Taskforce". Laughing Place. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Disney World to reopen Typhoon Lagoon Water Park on Jan. 2". New York Post . December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  8. ↑ Disney's Typhoon Lagoon – Gravity Wave Generation and Propagation in an Artificial Pond. Eng. Dpt., Parsons Corp., Chalhoub, Michel Soto, Rep. No. 88-0025 Pasadena, CA, USA
  9. ↑ Pedicini, Sandra (June 8, 2016). "New family raft ride planned at Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon". Orlando Sentinel . Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ McNesby, Samantha (June 26, 2019). Henthorn, Dawn (ed.). "Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon". TripSavvy. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  11. ↑ Storey, Ken (August 15, 2016). "Disney's Typhoon Lagoon adds first new attraction in over a decade, but plans to close an old favorite". Orlando Weekly . Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ Niblett, Rikki (September 14, 2016). "Shark Reef Closing at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon". TouringPlans.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  13. ↑ "REVIEW: Hammerhead Fred's Bar Replaces Shark Reef at Typhoon Lagoon". Blog Mickey. April 29, 2018. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
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